This paper origami bird actually flies
Origami and technology go together pretty well. Lightweight, efficient structures... and animal shapes. But there's nothing more "origami" than the humble paper crane. Now, courtesy of a small, light, power-efficient microcomputer from Rohm (a Japanese company: don't let the name fool you), the crane can fly. Better still, it's remote-controlled and can even keep itself afloat for around five minutes, according to the spokesperson. It's almost the most Japanese thing here at this year's CEATEC. Almost.
That said, it's not just some electronics attached to paper. While only a mere 31g (including battery), The structure is fortified with a network of carbon tubes, while other parts involved with the movement (two paired motors provide the flapping) are 3D-printed nylon. Better still you can remotely control the throttle of your paper bird over 920MHz -- it's all on the same tiny chip. The makers told us that they aim to put all the schematics online for others to make, but it's all a grand promotion for the company's Lazurite Fly microcomputer. Lighter and less power hungry than your typical programmable computer, Rohm says can sip up to 90 percent less energy than other well-known tiny computer manufacturers that might (literally) shoot it down. And it's all a bit more refined than a drone, we'd argue.
